Oak Lodge Residential Home

Oak Lodge is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 32 people. The service provides support and care to people with a mental health condition. At the time of our inspection there were 32 people living at Oak Lodge.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were safe and received high quality person-centred care and support. Risks were assessed and managed safely, and systems were in place to learn lessons when things went wrong. Medicines were managed safely. There were close links with health and social care professionals and other agencies to ensure people’s needs were met and any changes responded to promptly. Systems were in place to ensure people were protected from the risk of abuse and poor care.

People and relatives told us staff were warm and caring. There was an experienced and consistent staff team who knew people well and had developed trusting relationships. Recruitment was managed safely. The service followed safe infection, prevention, and control measures. The building and grounds were clean and well maintained.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were actively involved in their care. Staff valued and acted upon people’s views.

There was a positive culture in the service. People, relatives, and staff were complimentary about the management of the service. The registered manager and provider maintained effective oversight of the service through good communication and a detailed schedule of audits and quality checks. Staff were valued and recognised for their achievements. There was an open and transparent organisational culture. One relative said, “At Oak Lodge they have great empathy with residents and with relatives. It is quite exceptional.”

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 19 September 2017).

Why we inspected.

We inspected due to the length of time since the last inspection.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has remained the same.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Oak Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

Oak Lodge provides care and support for up to 32 people with mental health needs. Oak Lodge is a large detached property located in the Manningham area of Bradford, close to public transport systems, shops and local community facilities. Bedrooms are on five floors, with communal rooms on the ground and lower ground floors, all accessible by a passenger lift. At the time of the inspection 30 people were living in the home.

The service had not previously been inspected since registration with the Commission in December 2016. Previously the service was registered under a different legal entity.

A registered manager was in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We spoke with 16 people who used the service. People praised the care and support provided and said it met their individual needs. They said care was delivered in line with their preferences and staff were kind and caring. Health professionals also spoke positively about the service and said they thought it provided good quality and person-centred care.

People told us they felt safe living in the service. Staff knew people well and understood the risks associated with their care. Safeguarding procedures were in place and we saw they had been followed to help ensure people were kept safe. Following any incidents, measures were put in place to prevent a re-occurrence.

The premises were safely managed and fit for purpose. The communal areas were comfortable and pleasant rooms to use. Refurbishment and improvement of the environment was ongoing at the time of the inspection. The home was clean and hygienic.

People received their medicines as prescribed. Well organised systems were in place to ensure the consistent administration and documentation of medicine support.

There were enough staff deployed to ensure people were appropriately supervised and received prompt care and support. Staff had time to engage with people in a meaningful way. Safe recruitment procedures were in place to help ensure staff were of suitable character to work with vulnerable people.

People praised staff and said they had the right skills and attributes to do the job. Staff received ongoing training, support and supervision from the management team.

The service was acting within the legal framework of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People’s consent was sought before care and support was offered. Where people lacked capacity best interest processes were followed.

People had access to a suitable range of nutritious food which varied from day to day. Drinks were available throughout the day to help keep people hydrated. Nutritional needs were assessed and action taken to protect people from risk.

People’s healthcare needs were assessed and used to develop clear and person centred care plans. The service liaised with a range of health professionals over people’s care and support.

People received care from staff that treated them with dignity and respect. Staff displayed kindness and compassion and used good interpersonal skills to help calm any anxieties people were experiencing. People were able to make daily life choices and were listened to by staff. Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible.

A very good range of activities were available to people. The service had its own minibus which increased the flexibility and range of options available to people. Links had been developed with the local community to improve people’s social opportunities.

A system to investigate and respond to complaints was in place. People said they were satisfied with the service and had no cause to complain. However, they had every confidence any concerns they had would be effectively addressed by the management team.

People and staff praised the management team and said they were approachable and helpful should they have any issues or queries. We found a positive and inclusive atmosphere within the home with the service being dedicated to improving people’s individual outcomes.

A series of audits and checks were undertaken to help ensure continuous improvement of the service. People’s views and feedback was sought and valued by the service.